Monday, August 11, 2008

Four years ago I started my first batch of coldhouse grown Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Texas) from seed. I've lost a few plants to frost during the years but the survivors have coped surprisingly well, enduring the Danish winters in an unheated greenhouse without problems (that being said, I still worry a bit for the plants every winter ;-).

Flowering Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Texas)

The plants are now old enough to flower and have been doing so freely all summer. The above photo was taken late June and today the plants are still flowering.

I have pollinated as many flowers as possible - if more plants flower at the same time the flowers are cross-pollinated, otherwise selfed. A cotton-tipped swab can be used for transferring the pollen from the anther and deposit it on the stigma.

Lophophora williamsii pollinated with the help of a Q-tip

Lophophora williamsii with pollen deposited on the stigma

The plants have already set the first fruits (the picture below was taken at the end of July) - I can't say if these fruits are the result of the flowers being pollinated 5 weeks before, but I'm currently conducting some experiments to get a better understanding of how much time passes between a flower is pollinated and the resulting fruit appears.

Fruiting Lophophora williamsii

As mentioned above I cross-pollinate my Lophophora williamsii plants when possible (I don't cross plants from different locations though). This might be a waste of time as preliminary studies by Martin Terry indicate that outcrossing is close to zero (i.e. selfing is virtually 100%) in natural populations and all individuals in a given population are clones. The study is based on data from three Texan populations, including Starr County, and the results are not definite - but if the results are correct it would also mean that my surviving (Starr County) plants are not more fit for the coldhouse, genetically speaking, than the ones that died off as they are/were all clones... and I thought I was witnessing a live "selection of the fittest" drama. Anyway, I'll harvest the seed soon to start the next generation of coldhouse grown Lophophora williamsii ;-)

----------------------Read the comments for a discussion on the use of the word "clone".

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Contrary to my Epithelantha micromeris v. greggii plants that have flowered intensively this summer, I have not seen any flowers on my regular Epithelantha micromeris (SB1327; near Belen, New Mexico), but judging from the fruits they must have snuck out some flowers while I was not watching ;-)

Epithelantha micromeris (SB1327; near Belen, New Mexico) fruits

The fruits are a very bright pinkish red - the color almost defies description but it is the kind of screaming color that would seem fit for jelly beans ;-)

Fruiting Epithelantha micromeris (SB1327; near Belen, New Mexico)

Epithelantha micromeris fruits seen from the top

I scanned one of the fruits to get an up-close look at it and the seeds within.

Epithelantha micromeris fruit, close-up

The seeds are not surrounded by pulp, they just sit inside the "dry" outer skin of the berry. The fruits have a bland, uninteresting taste - I wouldn't grow them for marmalade.

Epithelantha micromeris fruit, cut open

The Epithelantha micromeris plants are grown in my coldhouse and they don't seem to mind the cold winters at all - according to Steve Brack this variety of Epithelantha micromeris is from the northernmost known locality of the species.

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Information on the peyote cactus et cetera. The primary focus of the Lophophora Blog is small Mexican cactus species like Lophophora (peyote), Obregonia (artichoke cactus), Acharagma, Ariocarpus (living rock), and Strombocactus but occasionally other subjects will be dealt with as well. Welcome to the Lophoforum and happy growing :-)